


The Christmas Conundrum

by Tilltheendwilliwrite



Series: Christmas Drabble Day 2018 [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Party, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Sweet Loki, birthday on christmas, тэг заменён на Don't copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-24 13:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17101799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tilltheendwilliwrite/pseuds/Tilltheendwilliwrite
Summary: milqi asked:So this is going to be an odd one, but my birthday is right before xmas and it's impossible to hang out with anyone just for me. It's always xmas/new year/hanukkah oriented and my birthday is an addendum. I don't mind anymore, because everything's sale and I get amazing gifts. But I know a number of other people in the same boat, so I was wondering if you could do a Loki x reader birthday special? Thank you! <3





	The Christmas Conundrum

 

 

* * *

You sighed as you flopped down on the sofa beside Loki, rested your head on the back of the couch, and closed your eyes.

“Y/N?” You turned your head enough to crack open your eyelids and look at him. “What is wrong? I thought all Midgardians found this season sickeningly festive and joyful, yet you appear… distressed.”

You sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. “Sure. Holiday is great. But I always get jipped.”

“Jipped?”

“Christmas is the twenty-fifth.”

“I am, unfortunately, aware.”

“So is my birthday.”

He was quiet for a moment before speaking. “I see.”

You turned your head to look at him and frowned. “You do, don’t you?”

“Yes. With the excitement of this inane holiday, your natal day is overlooked, or simply becomes absorbed by the festivities.”

“Yes. Exactly!” You sat up and turned toward him, lowering your voice as you spoke. “Look, I don’t begrudge the others their celebration, but once, just once, I would like to celebrate my birthday without it being, “Here, Y/N! Merry Christmas, oh, and happy birthday.” Like it’s some afterthought. Everyone else gets to enjoy their birthday. Mine just gets… forgotten.” With a shake of your head, you got to your feet. “You know what? I’m just having a pity party. It’s been like this as long as I’ve been alive, and I should be used to it by now. Forget I said anything, and don’t tell the others. I don’t want to spoil their holiday.”

He gave a short nod before you walked away.

***

Christmas morning rolled around, and you sat with the others, laughing and smiling as presents were distributed and opened in a flurry of wrapping paper. It was wonderful, as always, but you couldn’t quite shake the petty jealousy that lived in your heart.

Everyone else had a birthday they could celebrate on their special day. Well, besides Cap, but even Steve got presents on a day that wasn’t traditionally a gift-giving one. Not that you were in it for gifts, but it would be nice to have the day acknowledged as something other than Christmas.

When the others were occupied with their presents and ribbing each other, Loki wandered over to sit on the arm of the sofa beside you, and drop a small gift in your lap. It was tiny, and you frowned up at him.

“Merry Jól, darling.”

“Jól? That’s Asgard’s tradition, right?”

“That it is as well as once being Norse tradition here on Midgard. That,” he flicked his fingers at the box, “is a traditional gift.”

Excited now, you worked the lid off the small box and poured the contents slowly into your palm. What rolled out was a little, funky looking creature. “Is this a goat?”

“It is the Yule Goat, a symbol of Thor. Sacrificed during Yule, your people once believed Thor could slaughter his precious goats and revive them again with a blow from Mjolnir.”

You blinked at him for a moment. “Thor has _goats_?”

“No,” Loki snickered, “But your people believed he did. It became a running joke on Asgard, Thor and his goats, and these little statues started appearing in homes across the land. Now, they’re given as part of the tradition, and there is quite the assortment of them. The people collect them.”

A giggle became a full belly laugh as you looked at the fugly little goat. “Loki, I love it!”

“I am glad. Now, since the Christmas giving is finished, I will pick you up at four.”

“What?” You frowned up at him. “Why?”

“We have a date.”

“But it’s Christmas.”

He flicked a dismissive hand. “The gifts are given and received, now is the time to celebrate your birthday.” Loki stood, but not before placing a kiss on the crown of your head. “I left a natal day gift on your bed. I expect you to be dressed and ready by four.”

You stared after him as he walked away, ignoring the burn behind your eyes.

***

At four sharp you answered the door and smiled a little shyly at Loki standing there looking like a page out of GQ. The dark suit and crisp white shirt looked sharp on him. His eyes, however, were on you. They travelled down your body, over the ice blue dress, and back up.

“Stunning. I knew it would suit you.” From behind his back, he pulled a bouquet of white calla lilies.

“Loki!” you gasped and reached for them. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He shrugged. “I do what I want, and I wanted to bring you flowers.”

“Well, they’re beautiful. I’ve never gotten flowers on my birthday before.” You turned away to put them in water without seeing the flare of anger that washed across his face.

Once the flowers were sitting in a vase beside your sofa, you smiled at him and took his offered hand. Loki led you through the tower to the elevator, but when you expected to go down, he pressed the button for the twentieth floor, not ground.

“The arboretum?”

“Yes.” His smirk was full of mischief.

“Why?”

The sparkle in his eye made you smile. “You’ll see.”

So you waited, aware he hadn’t let go of your hand and wondering at it. Loki had never been the affectionate sort, but then he’d never been the giving sort either. Yet he’d kissed your hair and held your hand and had given you a goat and a beautiful dress. The man appeared to be surprising you at every turn.

Loki led the way to the frosted glass doors of the arboretum, a garden space Tony had built for the staff to get away to when they ate lunch or even if they needed a place to decompress, but today there was a sign on the doors stating the arboretum was closed for a private event.

You slowed to a stop and frowned at Loki when he pushed the door inward. “But… it’s closed.”

He huffed a sigh and rolled his eyes. “For you, darling. I’m the one who closed it.”

“Oh!” You gave him a sheepish grin and slipped through the door.

Loki followed and flipped the lock before encouraging you forward with a hand on your back. He led you down the winding paths, but you frowned at the decor.

“I don’t understand. The arboretum was decorated for Christmas.”

“Was, yes,” Loki chuckled.

You looked up at him. “Well, what happened?”

“I happened.”

He raised his hand and magic wicked out through the trees. The lights lowered but more sparkled amongst the leaves and foliage creating a romantic atmosphere, especially when the soft strains of a violin played through the air.

You rounded the corner and gasped for a table had been set beneath a star-swept sky. It had to be an illusion, but it looked so incredibly real you could only stop and stare. Then from the shadows walked all of your friends, the entire team, and not one of them sported a Christmas tie, sweater, or holiday dress amongst them.

“Happy birthday, darling.” He flicked his fingers, and a pile of presents in pastel colours appeared beside a three-tiered cake set with flowers.

Your hand flew to your mouth as tears threatened. “A birthday cake. You got me a birthday cake?” Every cake you’d ever had, had double as one for Christmas.

“Chocolate with buttercream icing and gum paste flowers.”

You could only stare at him as the tears won out. “You did all this for me?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

Loki cupped your chin and peered into your eyes. “Can you really be so blind? What a conundrum you are.”

Before you could respond, he ducked his head and kissed you softly, gently, with such tenderness, you melted into his chest. When he pulled back, your arms had found their way around his neck without you knowing how they'd arrived there, but you couldn’t find it inside you to mind when his were wrapped around your waist.

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” he whispered and wiped the tears from your cheek. “May it be the start of a new tradition.”

You pressed up on your toes and kissed him again. “Thank you, Loki. But if this is the start of a new tradition, I expect another goat next year.”

He chuckled when you smiled up at him. “A goat for Jól, but how about a dance for your birthday?” He took you by the hand and led you forward to sway beneath the stars while the rest of your team looked on indulgently.

You sighed and rested your head on his chest. “Best birthday ever.”

-The End-

  
  
  
  
  



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